Barge Looted in the Bahamas Returns to Florida but Insurance Claims Mounting

A barge carrying 192 shipping containers that ran aground in the Bahamas and was quickly looted has returned to Jacksonville, ending a stormy journey that will likely result in millions of dollars in insurance claims.

The barge, known as the Brooklyn Bridge, was being towed Nov. 11 to Puerto Rico when high winds kicked up and a tow wire snapped, FirstCoast News, FreightWaves and other news sites reported. The barge, carrying food, household goods, medical equipment and electronics, ended up on a reef off the Bahamas.

Looters soon descended, using bolt cutters and prybars to rip open the containers. All but 11 of the steel boxes were opened, authorities said. What looters didn’t take, they dumped into the water and sand around the reef. The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy stepped in after Bahama police were slow to take action due to safety concerns, the news sites noted.

The barge is believed to be owned by Trailer Bridge. Each container carried $50,000 to $200,000 worth of cargo, and at least some insurance claims have been filed, FirstCoast News reported. People in Puerto Rico are likely to endure shortages of some goods.

Crews were hired to clean up the discarded appliances and other items near the string of Bahama islands off Florida’s east coast. Trailer Bridge CEO Mitch Luciano thanked U.S. and Bahama authorities for helping to secure the area and remaining undamaged cargo, FreightWaves noted.

One attorney said that while maritime theft is common in some parts of the world, it’s seen as highly unusual in the Jacksonville-to-Puerto Rico Jones Act trade route.

Topics Florida Claims